Konjunktur: Auftragsbestand der deutschen Industrie steigt auf Rekord

In Germany, a record number of outstanding orders in the industrial sector are providing hope for an end to the prolonged dry spell. According to the Federal Statistical Office in Wiesbaden, the order backlog rose 1.5 percent in July, after adjusting for prices. This marked the industry's highest level ever. When compared to the same month last year, the order backlog increased by 10.9 percent.

Over the past months, the order backlog has tended to grow in companies. The reach for the order backlog has expanded to nine months, the highest value since data collection began in 2015. This figure indicates how many months businesses would need to operate at the same volume to clear their orders. The positive development was especially driven by the rise in "other vehicle manufacturing," which includes aircraft, ships, trains, and military vehicles.

Recently, numerous new orders arrived in this sector, and production time is comparatively long, according to statisticians. The increase in other vehicle manufacturing may also be attributed to government defense spending. A slight rise in mechanical engineering also contributed positively, while the order backlog in the automotive industry fell.

Leading institutes have raised their forecasts for the German economy, citing attractive exports and government spending. The Ifo Institute, for instance, expects a 1.4 percent growth in 2026. 2025 saw only a 0.2 percent increase in gross domestic product, while the economy shrank in the two years before that.